Directing for the Terrified

 

A reminder that this will be held on Sunday February 25th 10am to 4 pm at Nantwich Players Theatre. Details of the content etc were sent out on December 12th 2006 with a full newsletter. It’s not too late to enrol so please give the attached duplicate forms your attention.

 

This is positively the final time (the third actually) that this course will be held – don’t miss out.

 

 

And Some News on the 3007 Series of A Stage Further Workshops

 

As before Cheshire Theatre Guild members will receive advance notification approximately 14 days before they are generally advertised. Sadly the advance  notification does not apply to The Club Theatre, Heald Green Theatre Company and Sale Nomads. This is because their local authorities do not provide grant aid to enable these courses to be run. This does not mean you will not be able to come along – it just means that you will not get the 14 day advantage to book places – and these do go quickly.

 

Here is some advance information – keep it to yourselves that I’ve told you – it’s top secret at the moment – it’s just that I want you all to have this early notification so that Cheshire Theatre Guild members get thye limited number of places – don’t say I don’t put your needs first!

 

So here goes – and you will have to wait until mid-February before you receive booking details.

 

May 6th Set design and stage combat at the Pyramid Centre Warrington.

June 23rd Acting

July 7th Directing

The acting and directing workshops will be with Chris Honer of Manchester Library Theatre – both will be held at Knutsford.

On June 30th and July 7th there will be sessions on choreography and for budding musical directors – at Knutsford.

 

Yet to be confirmed are the dates for lighting and sound for beginners and advanced lighting and sound –all at the Lyceum Crewe in August / September. Watch out for finalised dates.

 

 

Inter Group Visits

 

You will find a letter with this newsletter from David Postance. Can you please find time at your next committee meeting to discuss it.

David awaits your views by letter / telephone or email. (note this is an updated email contact than the one in your handbook so please update.

 

 

A Date for Your 2007 Diary.

 

Wednesday July 4th AGM / Awards night at Frodsham Community Centre.

 

 

Underwych July 12th to 14th

 

This is a community arts project and by the time you receive this newsletter the initial meeting will have taken place. Don’t despair if you are interested I’m sure there will still be jobs available acting / designing etc The Project Manager is Robert Medows who can be contacted on 0773 329 5435. email robertmedows@talktalk.net.

 

 

News from the Groups

 

Byley Village Players

At the end of December Gyley Village Players celebrated a 25th birthday with a Bucks Fizz reception, finger buffet and a look back to previous productions and dancing to a rock band.

 

Impact Theatre Company

This group will present “I Licked a Slag’s Deodorant” on February 16th and 17th at the Farm Community Centre – Cinnamon Brow. This short play will be followed by a talk back session with the cast and director after each performance. Something Impact started this season and proving popular.

 

Nantwich Players are 80!

This is a special year for Nantwich Players – formed in 1927 as Nantwich Play Reading Circle. Play readings are still very much a feature of the Nantwich Players programme of social events and are held monthly. Plans are now being considered for a suitable event to celebrate that 80 years birthday.

 

 

Shakespeare Boosts the Brain

 

Wrestling with Shakespeare, Chaucer and Wordsworth has a beneficial effect on the mind, says the Sunday Telegraph. Neuro-scientists have discovered that the unusual sentence structures and obscure words contained in the works of classical writers challenge the brain, causing it to light up with electrical activity. By contrast, reading ordinary modern text causes only normal levels of electrical activity. Brain imaging techniques showed that Shakespearian text also sparks activity across a wider area of the brain than plain text. “The jump in activity is caused by the brain re-evaluating what it is reading” says brain imaging expert Professor Neil Roberts. “With a Shakespearian sentence, the brain sees it as a grammatically difficult but tolerates it as making sense. It perhaps acts as a cue to the brain that there is something there that has more than one meaning”.

 

 

Song and Dance

 

Thank you Meg Cooper for spotting this letter in The Times – described by Meg as “a gem” I agree.

 

Sir. My drama group is performing Mother Goose in January at Derby Guildhall Theatre and 12 children are involved. We have had to fill in a five or six page document for each child, endorsed by a parent or guardian. A copy of each child’s birth certificate and two passport size photographs are required to obtain the licence to perform. (Kids theatre of the absurd, notebook Nov 23rd).

We have schoolteachers, guiders and brownie leaders and church wardens involved, but chaperones are still needed and have to be cleared by social services regardless of previous clearance. We need permission for each child photographed and named in the programme.

If the person securing the premises finds a child that has not yet been collected he or she cannot offer the child a lift home.

We have been performing with adults and children since 1984, but I have seriously considered not involving children any more.

Michael Gaunt

Chellaston, Derby.

 

 

Performing Rights

 

I have mentioned many times the importance of checking plays are available before purchasing scripts and commencing rehearsals.

Imagine my surprise to find that a play that has been around for over 20 years is “Temporarily Withdrawn” pending a professional production. The play I refer to is “Pack of Lies” planned by a group for a December 2007 production. The advice from French’s was to apply again  in a few months as the proposed production may not come to fruition.

A bigger surprise was to read of a professional revival of “Beoing - Beoing”. I would rather not thing when that play first hit the amateur circuit – a very popular choice if you have sufficient doors! Somewhere I have a photograph of when I played Robert. I had an amazingly good head of hair and sideburns! Memories!

 

 

And Finally

 

Affiliation subs were first requested in September 2006 and almost 6 months later there are still some outstanding. Can you please give the matter URGENT attention – a furter form is enclosed for you to complete and forward to Margaret. Thank you.

 

John R Powell

Chairman